I won't lie, I skimmed a good deal of the second half of the book. I found the author's discussion of his childhood and his experiences during his pre-prison life interesting but once that part was over, there was just too much rambling on about baseball and other things that didn't feel relevant.

I'd go 2.5 if Goodreads had a half-star option.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review. Yes, this has been in my pile for a few years. ( )

I have read this as far as I wanted to. I was interested in the story, but almost halfway through and he had not gotten to the crime. The turn off for me was the writing style. It was written like someone trying to be a sage, but isn't. In other words trying to sound smarter than they are and using longer words for no reason. I wanted to finish it because I wanted to hear the story of the crime from his perspective. I sadly didn't care enough of the backstory so, I couldn't get through the book. I wanted to though. ( )

Technically DNF at 80%, but I sat through enough fatphobia and hard R's to count it. ( )

Damien Echols was a teenager living in an Arkansas trailer park when he and two friends were convicted of the murder of three young boys. There was no evidence connecting them to the crime, no DNA, only the obsessive interest of a juvenile officer convinced Echols was "satanic" and the coerced confession of one of the teens who had the mental development of a second grader and who was 'interviewed' without his parents or an attorney present.

This memoir covers Echols' turbulent early life, his illegal harassment and institutionalization by the juvenile officer, his trial, and the nineteen years of his incarceration on death row. By the time he was released, he had spent more than half his life there.

It's a horrifying read. The corruption of the police, the court system, and prison system are exposed in Echols' matter-of-fact style, as are his struggles to remain sane and healthy in an environment designed to reduce prisoners to sub-humans. His truthfulness is attested to by several independent documentaries and he and his friends' eventual release from prison. The fact that he survived at all is a testament to his willpower, courage, and spiritual commitment -- as well as the support of an ever-growing group of friends and supporters, including Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, Eddie Vedder, Johnny Depp, and Sister Helen Prejean.

I had been hoping to read more about his hermetic spiritual practices, which I'd learned about from a podcast transcript, but apparently that information is covered in his book "High Magick," which is now on my reading list. ( )

I really never knew anything about the "West Memphis 3" case until I heard about the men getting out of prison. I picked up this memoir because I was curious what Mr. Echols had to say about his time in prison. While I didn't think the book would be a walk through the park, I expected it to be different than I found it. It was very slow, slightly disjointed and at times didn't make much sense. I can't even imagine what Mr. Echols was going through nor do I presume his guilt or innocence but I struggled with a lot of this book. Between his stories about his treatment in jail and his relationship with his family and the law, I definitely feel like there was a lot of trauma in Mr. Echols' life but I still have so many questions. It also made me wonder about the involvement of celebrities in his case and how much that had to do with him being set free. And that just makes me sad. I'm not saying that everyone on Death Row or in prison is innocent but if celebrities are involved it seems to make it easier for someone to go free and that's what makes me sad. I don't even want to think about how many people are incarcerated for something they didn't do and how many people are still walking free because they didn't get caught or what have you. I don't know. This book did not sit well with me but at least it got me thinking and for that I am always thankful. ( )